River Church NOLA
2026 April 26 2nd Chance tto make life count
  • How Great Is Our God
  • Trust In God
  • I Give You My Heart
  • Come Just As You Are
  • Have you ever had your moment… and missed it?
    Like something important came into your life… an opportunity, a calling, a chance to make a difference… and somehow it slipped through your fingers?
    Phone call you didn’t return - You saw a name pop up and thought… I’ll call them later and later never came. Now you wish you had one more chance to make that call.
    The job you didn’t apply for. You saw the job advertised, but you told yourself that you were not qualified enough for it. Now someone else stepped into it and you wish you had stepped up because you realize that you were capable.
    The encouragement that you never gave - Someone you care about was struggling, and you felt it. But you never said the words they needed.
    The apology that came too late - You knew you needed to ask someone for their forgiveness but pride kept you quiet… until time ran out and it’s too late.
    The prompting you ignored. God nudged you to pray… speak… give… or step out, but you hesitated until that moment is gone.
    The person you didn’t witness to. - You felt the moment… I should say something… but fear kept you silent. Billy Graham and John F Kennedy.
    Sometime we treat opportunity like our refrigerator. You open it… don’t see anything to eat and close it. Then you open it again… like something new was going to appear.
    We treat opportunity that way too. We keep waiting for a different moment, when God has already given us one.
    Maybe God opened the door for you, but you stayed in your seat. Someone said, Opportunity knocked… but fear answered the door. Maybe that’s been you in the past and …
    And now, if you are honest, there’s this quiet question in your heart…

    Do I still have anything left to give?

    Today we will talk about a man who asked that same question…
    A man who thought it was over … but discovered that God still had more. Elijah thought his greatest moments were behind him. But what he didn’t realize was that God specializes in giving purpose after what feels like missed opportunity.
    Now, if you know Elijah’s story, you know that in 1 Kings 18 Elijah had a mountain top experience.
    He challenges the prophets of Baal… tell some of the story
    He calls down fire from heaven…
    He defeats and kills all the false prophets of Baal.
    God shows his undeniable power.
    It’s the kind of moment believers dream about… becoming the hero… seeing God do something amazing. This would have made a great movie.
    But then, we turn the page and in 1 Kings 19:1-8, everything changes.
    1 Kings 19:1–8 NLT
    1 When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal. 2 So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.” 3 Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. 4 Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.” 5 Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” 6 He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God.
    Remember, just one chapter earlier, Elijah stood boldly on Mount Carmel calling down fire from heaven. It was a defining moment where God showed up in a powerful way.
    But now?
    Queen Jezebel has threatened to kill him. By this time tomorrow, you’re dead!
    Fear replaced faith… The Bold prophet becomes the running prophet.
    He runs into the wilderness to hide…
    And he collapses under a tree saying I have had enough and tells God…
    1 Kings 19:4 NLT
    4 Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”
    Let that sink in for a minute. The man who just called down fire from heaven, defeated hundreds of false prophets… now wants to quit. More than that, he wants God to put him out of his misery.
    Elijah just had a mountain top experience. but…

    1. Even your strongest moments don’t make you invincible.

    Elijah wasn’t weak, he was worn out.
    1 Kings 19:4 NLT
    4 Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”
    That’s comparison talking. I’m no better than my ancestors…
    That’s discouragement talking. I’ve had enough…
    That’s burnout talking.
    The Monday after the win…
    Have you ever noticed how life works?
    You have a huge win.
    You nail the presentation. People love it. It sells. … But you are picking it apart and going… I wish I would have said…
    You have that breakthrough conversation… someone actually listens to what you tell them and come back and let you know it worked…
    You experience a spiritual high…
    And then the next day… you feel empty.
    It’s like your soul says, that’s all I had…

    Sometimes you don’t fall into sin… you fall into exhaustion.

    And exhaustion will lie to you. It will tell you:
    You don’t matter.
    You’re done… finished
    You missed your chance…
    But that’s not true… that’s fatigue talking.

    2. God meets you in your lowest moments.

    1 Kings 19:5–6 NLT
    5 Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” 6 He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again.
    Here is what is amazing about this story.
    God doesn’t show up with a lecture. He doesn’t say,
    Elijah, where is your faith?
    Elijah, pull yourself together…
    NO.
    God send an angel, and the angel brings food… bread and water. He tells Elijah to get up and eat.
    That’s it. No sermon… no rebuke… just some TLC.

    Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is to eat a sandwich and take a nap.

    Some of you are asking God for a word… and God is saying, you need a nap. You are rebuking the devil and god says, all you need is a peanut butter sandwich.
    Sometime the most spiritual thing you can do is to take care of whatever has been neglected in your life. Why? Because…

    God cares about your condition before your commission.

    Before God gives Elijah a new assignment, He gives him some TLC in the form of food and rest. Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is to take a nap and get something to eat. In our driven culture, we too often ignore our limits. This sotry should rmind us that God cares about our bodies and so should we.
    Elijah’s spiritual breakthrough began with a snack and a nap. Take the rest God offers.
    You may feel like Elijah under the broom tree—done, discouraged, ready to give up. But God sees you. He doesn’t abandon you in the wilderness. He comes with gentle provision: a kind word from a friend, unexpected rest, strength for one more day. His grace is sufficient even when your strength is gone

    3. Your breakdown is not your ending.

    Elijah thought it was over. God was done with him and Jezebel was going to kill him. Elijah saw it as the end, but God saw it as a time out… an intermission.
    1 Kings 19:7–8 NLT
    7 Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God.
    The angel had Elijah lay down for a second nap then woke him up to eat again.
    He told him to get up and eat some more or the journey ahead will be too much for him.
    Did you catch that? There is still a journey.
    Elijah thought it was over. God said, no, we are just getting started on the next adventure.
    The phone that needed charging. Have you ever had your phone die on you right when you needed it the most? You are trying to use it and it’s at 1%… and then it just shuts off.
    You don’t grab it and tell it to work harder… That won’t fix it. What does it need? It needs a charge.

    Some of you don’t need a new calling. You need to be recharged.

    Often,
    What feels like the end may actually be God recharging and resetting you to make an impact.

    4. Your 2nd chance still matters

    1 Kings 19:8–18 NLT
    8 So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. 9 There he came to a cave, where he spent the night. But the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” 11 “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He replied again, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” 15 Then the Lord told him, “Go back the same way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive there, anoint Hazael to be king of Aram. 16 Then anoint Jehu grandson of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from the town of Abel-meholah to replace you as my prophet. 17 Anyone who escapes from Hazael will be killed by Jehu, and those who escape Jehu will be killed by Elisha! 18 Yet I will preserve 7,000 others in Israel who have never bowed down to Baal or kissed him!”
    So after Elijah eats and drinks and takes a nap… after he is recharged, he travels 40 days and nights to the mountain of God.
    Why? Because God still had something for him.
    Elijah will go on to:
    Hear God in a whisper
    Anoint future kings
    Mentor Elisha
    Shape the future of a nation…
    But none of that would have happened if Elijah had stayed under the tree. The difference? He got back up.
    Listen to me… neither does your story end under the tree.
    The Missed Flight
    A man once missed a flight that could have been a career changer. He sat at the airport all frustrated and angry, convinced that he had blown his opportunity and ruined his whole life.
    Hours later, he rebooked, arrived late and figured that the opportunity was gone.
    But when he got there, he found out something pretty surprising… The Meeting had been delayed. The door he thought was closed was still open.
    Sometimes we think we have missed it… that the door is closed. But God is still holding the door. He is the one who opens the doors and closes the doors.
    So how can we step into our 2nd chance? How do you get back up?

    How to step into your 2nd chance

    Be honest about where you are.

    Elijah didn’t try to fake out God… he didn’t try to fake strength. He was honest wiht God and told Him how he felt.

    Receive what God is giving you now.

    It may not look spiritual. It might be a nap and a snack, but if God is giving something to you, it’s spiritual.

    Get back up, even slowly.

    Elijah didn’t get up and sprint, we walked.

    Trust that your next assignment still matters.

    God is not finished with you.
    Altar time
    Some of you are still living under that tree right now.
    You are tired…
    You are frustrated…
    You are discouraged…
    You are wondering if you have anything left to offer…
    God didn’t bring you here today to shame you. He brought you here to wake you up. Not with pressure … but with grace.
    He is saying,

    Get up… and receive what I am giving you.

    You don’t have to fix everything today.
    You don’t have to figure it all out… Just take the next step.
    Close
    Your greatest moment is not behind you.
    Your usefulness has not expired.
    Your calling has not been cancelled.
    You are not finished!

    The tree you collapsed under is not where your story ends; it’s where God begins your comeback.

    Pray

      • 1 Kings 19:1–8NIV

      • 1 Kings 19:4NIV

      • 1 Kings 19:4NIV

      • 1 Kings 19:5–6NIV

      • 1 Kings 19:7–8NIV

      • 1 Kings 19:8–18NIV

River Church NOLA
robert@riverchurchnola.com
504-578-8317
https://riverchurchnola.com
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